Automatic machine-tool.



E. P. BULLARD, .IR- & W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1914.

1 258,089. Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

I I SHEETS'SHEET I.

E. P. BULLARD, JR. & W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.9, l9l4.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

ll S.HEETSSHEET 2.

gmmmto m, -EZZ'u-wkfl 2,3217 Z 0: fa Wvmzmm AZ srwens KJMWMWLN Wa/bboweq E. P. BULLARD, JR- & w. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1914.

Patented Mar ll SHEETS-4SHEET 4.

Eda/a m x wvmmfw M E. P. BULLARD, JR'. & w. N. STEVENS.

- AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1914.

Pzitented Mar. 5. 1918..

11 SHEETSSHEET 5.

' mwmwm mSm/em Q llll E. P. BULLARD, 1R. & w. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

1 APPLICATION FILED lAN.9. 1914.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

u SHEETS-SHEET 6.

cZu/arHFBu'lZarfi Jr. William Mflfivens 93 m a" t -E. P. BULLARD, JR. &W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPLICATION FIYLED JAN.'9. 1914.

00 1 9 Z. 1 l E 5 M I s P a m M m w m a D1 Pi if 9 8 0 I, 8 F 5 2 1 E.P. BULLARD, In. & W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-9. 1914.

Patented Mar. 5,1918.

I1 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

avwewtom E. P. BULLARD, JR. 6L W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN.9, 1914.

' Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

ll SHEETS-SHEET 9.

E. P. BULLARD,JR. & W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL,-

' APPLICATION man mm. 1914.

1,258,089. Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

. 4 1| SHEETS- SHEET1O.

E. P. BULLARD, JR. & W. N. STEVENS.

AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOL.

APPHCATION FILED IAN-9. I914- yeooeo RIP.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD P. BULLARD, JR., AND WILLIAM N. STEVENS, OI BBIDGE PORT,CONNECTICUT,

ASSIGNORS TO THE BULLARD MACHINE TOOL COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPOBT, CON:NECT'ICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT. AUTOMATIC MACHINE-TOOL.

1 258 089 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 5, 1918.Application filed January 9, 1914. Serial No. 811,198.

To all whom it may concern: combination of parts shown upon the accom Beit known that we, EDWARD P. BULLARD, J1, and lVILLiAM N. STEVENS,citizens of the United States, and residents of Bridgeport, in thecounty of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Automatic Machine- Tools, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic machine tools andrefers especially to a multiple spindle form of boring and turningmachine which is adapted to handle a large variety of work and isespecially constructed to automatically perform a series of difl erentoperations simultaneously upon a series of like pieces so that a piecemay be completed upon the machine without rechucking or otherwisechanging the piece. A Y

lntroductorgl.-The object of the invention is to design a machine toolwhich will be automatic in evfi'yparticular and which will beadapted'to. quickly handle a large variety of work; to design themachine so as to have a series of machines in one and whereby they willperform their .respective operations simultaneously; to construct amachine upon which a piece of work requiring a series of. operations,may be automatically turned out complete and without'resetting the pieceupon the machine; to provide a machine of the class specified which willinclude a multiplicity of work carrying spindles and a multiplicity oftool carrying heads mounted with respect to the said spindles and so asto work in conjunction therewith; to thus provide a machine whereinthere will be a series of rotary work carrying tables any of which maybe used for loading purposes during which time they may be caused tostand still if desired, and a series of tool carrying heads; to providemeans for operating the spindles at either uniform speed or independentseparate speeds and likewise to provide different feeds for the slidesthat work in conjunction with the respective table's.

Our invention further resides and consists in the novel construction,arrangement and panying drawings forming a part of this specificationand upon which,

- Figure 1, shows a front perspective view of our new design of machinetool.

.Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal section taken on line 22 of Fig. 3and showing the gear driving mechanism for carrier, spindles, &c.

Fig. 3 shows. a central vertical section through the lower portion ofthe machine more especially the base, carrier, spindles and mechanismfor driving same and taken on line 33 of Figs. 2 and 4.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the intermediate portion orcolumn of the ma chine and taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view through theintermediate portion of the machine andtaken on line 55 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 isa further detail plan View of the top portion of the inside ofthe machine showing the indexing gear and mechanism for operating theindexing and controller clutches 157 and 181 respectively.

Figs. 7 and 8 show enlarged front and side views respectively of thelever and clutch mechanism shown in Fig. 6 for cla7mping and releasingthe indexing clutch 15 Fig. 9 is a similar side view of a stop mechanismthat is operated by the control ler drum to engage the indexing gear 87.v

Fig. 10 is a plan View of the inside of the upper portion of the machineillustrating the inclosed casing and feed mechanisms for operating theseveral slides and also showing the indexing shaft and gear therefor.

Fig. 11, shows a sectional elevation of an enlarged scale of one of thefeed works and connected parts.

Fig. 12 shows an end view of the same feed works shown in Figs. 10 and.11 for op i crating the feed slides.

Fig. 13 is a central vertical longitudinal section through the said feedworks taken on line 13-13 of Fig. 12. I

Fig. 14 shows a sectional elevation through,

v the extreme upper portion of the f'machine illustrating themotor driveand its operative connections with the main driving shaft.

Fig. 15 shows a detail bottom plan view of the upper or controllerclutch 15 7 for operating the controller drum shown in 1* 1g. 5.

Fig. 16 is a detail top plan view of the lower or controller ring clutchand portion of ring, drum and rack shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged detail cross section of portion of controller,drum, rack, &c.

Fig. 18 is a diagram view of face of controller drum showing cam groove,lugs and rods operated thereby.

Fig. 19 shows a detail sectional elevation of locking device forcarrier, operated from controller drum.

GeneraZ.The machine is designed to be operated by one or more attendantswho are in position to reach the several levers and controlling devicesand likewise in position to put on and remove the work from the tableswhen the machinery operations are complete. As the respective tablescome forward they now become idle and remain idle while being reloadedwhen they are carried around to their several operative positions. Thetable thus selected usually stationed at the front stands idle, whilethe other tables are rotating and performing their work in conjunctionwith the cutting tools carried bv the slides arranged .above them. Thetables are rotatably mounted in the carrier which moves successively soas to bring the tables beneath the respective operating tool carryingslides and as shown requires six movements of the carrier to make onecomplete turn upon the base. In this connection it may be stated thatwith our improved machine the time required for machining a given pieceis the time of the longest operation plus such time as is required forindexing the carrier from one po ition to another.

The novel machine briefly includes a base that supports a hollow columnand upon the top of which is built an inclosure for the drivingmechanism and feed works. A rotarv carrier is also mounted upon the baseand is designed to be turned upon the base so as to carrv the rotaryspindles and work carrying tables around the column. The said carrier ismoved successively a predetermined distance with each movement so as tocarry the rotary tables from one point of operation to another. Themechanism as constructed causes the carrier to make six stops equaldistances apart with each complete rotation. Each movement and stop ofthe carrier brings five of the rotary tables under the same number oftool slides and in proper position to operate in conjunction therewith.The machine is preferably driven by an electric motor situated on thetop of the machine so as to drive the several parts through a centraldriving shaft.

eeepea Base.Referring in detail to the characters of reference markedupon the drawings 20 represents the base of the machine which as will benoted is formed of a single casting and in a general circular shape toform a central vertical opening therethrough in which a large part ofthe mechanism of the machine is contained. An annular pocket 21 isformed in the base to accommodate the gears 36 of the table spindles.Beneath this pocket is formed a series of inclined outlet passages 22which serve to direct the chips out throu h the machine and upon thefloor as they fall through the hollow spindles from the tables. To theunder and inner portion 23 of the base is secured a pan 24 which servesto inclosethe bottom of the machine and form an oil pocket to catch thedrippings from the bearings. The said base is further shaped to form anannular flat-bearing surface 25 and through which is formed an annularopening 26 to accommodate the table spindles 27 mounted in the rotarycarrier 28. An upwardly disposed annular rib 29 is formed on the outeredge portion of the base to fit into a groove 30 in the under outer edgeportion of the can rier to form a closed bearing between the two parts.The inner annular cylindrical portion 31 of the base is supportedfromthe main base through upwardly disposed arms 32. In these arms areformed hearings to accommodate the several vertically disposed shafts aswill later be more specifically referred to.

Uarrier.-The carrier 28 is of a general annular shape and includes anannular bottom that fits and rides upon the surface 25 of the base,while the inner cylindrical walls 23 of the said carrier are fitted toand rotate around the vertically disposed wall 31 of the base. A seriesof vertically disposed openings forming spindle bearings 33 are alsoformed in the casting comprising the carrier and serve to support thespindles 27 before mentioned. In practice there are six of thesespindles arranged at equal distances apart and upon the upper end ofeach is formed a rotary work carrying table 34 that carries suitablechucks or fixtures 35 for holding the work to be operated upon.

SpindZea-The spindles 27, before mentioned, are hollow and thus serve topermit the fine chips which are cut from the work to drop through andinto the chutes 22 and slide out from the base of the machine. Largegears 36 are mounted upon the lower end of each of the said spindles andare connected to be driven by other gears so as to .drive the spindlesand tables and to rotate the work (when mounted upon the tables.

0am 1'2'ng.A cam ring 37 is mounted upon the annular bearings 23 of thebase and is provided with holes 38 to. receive the lower ends of thespindles 27 so as to move the ring around upon the base and withthecarrier. The ring further includes a depending annular flange whichforms an annular cam track 39 that includes suitable cam lugs 40 toengage pins 41. These pins serve to raise the gears 42 slidably mountedupon the shaft 43 and to allow the spindle gears to be moved forward andin line for mesh with the said slide gears when the carrier moves fromone station to another.

0'0Zunm.-A cylindrical column 44 is secured to the upper portion of thecylindrical wall 31 of the base and is provided with a grooved flange 45to cover the annular rib 46 on the top edge of the carrier wall 31. Thiscolumn serves to inclose important mechanism of the machine and alsocarries the housing 47 and motor 48 located above. An opening 49 isformed in the front of the column and is so arranged as to permit ofaccess to the controller drum and other operative parts located therein.Said opening being normally closed by a removable plate 50 that isattached by screw bolts as shown.

Motor drive-The motor 48 for driving the machine is preferably mountedupon the top of the machine and as arranged is belted to drive a pulleyand short cross shaft 51 inside of the housing 47 forming the upperinclosure of the machine. The said pulley and belt are covered by a hood52 that is secured to the top 53 of the housing before mentioned. 54represents the bottom or flooring of the said inclosure and as will beseen is supported upon the top of the column 44. The said top 53 andbottom 54 of the housing are each provided with an annular groove 55 intheir outer edge portion to accommodate a series of sheet metal closureplates 56, that are adapted to slide backward and forward alongside ofeach other in the said annular grooves. so that access may be readilyhad to any portion of the inclosure whereby the compartment may be keptshut inclosing the mechanism contained therein.

Dm'm'ng c0nne0tz'0ns.The short shaft 51 is journaled in a bracket 57supported between the plates 53 and 54 and is provided with a bevel gear58 upon its inner end that meshes with and drives a similar gear 59 uponthe hub of one member 60 of a friction clutch that is arranged to runfree upon the upper central vertical driving shaft 61. The upper end ofthis driving shaft 61 is journaled and supported in an arm 62 of thebracket 57 while the lower part is journaled in the hub of a brakemember 63. The before mentioned clutch member 60 which is looselymounted upon a shaft 61 is designed to operate in connection with aslidable member 64 keyed to the same shaft, and is adapted to beoperated through link connections 65 with an operating lever. 66 thatextends out through the inclosure 47 and is adapted to be manuallyoperated when it is desired to operatably connect the said shaft withthe motor. The movable member 67 of the brake is also slidably mountedupon the said shaft 61 and is connected to be operated by the same lever66 and simultaneously with the operation of the slidable clutch member64.

Ulutches for driving shaft.--The.. vertical shaft 61 forms the uppermain driving shaft and 68 represents the lower shaft, said lower drivingshaft being in alinement with the upper shaft and journaled in a bearing69 secured to the column and in a lower bearing 70 secured to the base.These upper and lower driving shafts are adapted to be connected througha clutch shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and which is automatically operated byconnections with the controller drum 71 as shown in said figure and aswill again be referred to. This clutch like the clutch 64 beforereferred to is connected to a brake 74 that is simultaneously operated.The upper member 72 of this clutch is keyed to the lower end of theupper shaft 61, while the slidable clutch member 73 is keyed to theupper end of the lower shaft 68. 74 represents the sliding member of thebrake and 75 the fixed member of the brake. As shown, these two slidingmembers are connected by links 76 and are adapted to be operated throughthe arm 77 and slide rod 78 which latter in turn is engaged to be raisedby the cam lugs 81 on the inside of the cylindrical controller drum 71.The arm 77 secured to the slide rod is engaged by a groove in themovable member 74 of the brake. The rod 78 is movably mounted inbrackets 79 extended inward from the column, andin the upper end of therod is secured a pin 80 that is disposed outward in line with themovement of the cam lugs 81 upon the inside of the controller drum 71 sothat with each complete rotation of the controller drum the said camswill engage the pin to raise and lower it for the operation of theclutch and brake, thereby insuring the clutch'being opened and closedonce with each complete turn of the drum for the purpose. of connectingand disconnecting the two said shafts once with each turn of the drumand one-sixth turn of the carrier. The lower one of the said drivingshafts, as before stated, is operatively connected with the respectivetable spindles which have to be started and stopped every time that theyassume their operative positions.

Driving machine for cawz'en-The rotary carrier 28 mounted upon the baseis driven from the upper driving shaft through speed reducing gears 82mounted upon the said shaft 61 and co-acting gears 83 mounted upon aclutch shaft 84, see Figs. 4 and 5, journaled in the bottom plate 54 ofthe upper inclosure and in a bearing plate 85 arall , ranged central ofand supported from the column. Upon the upper end of this clutch shaftis secured a small pinion 86 that meshes with and drives a largeindexing gear 87 mounted upon the upper end of the verticall arrangedindexing shaft 88, journaled in the bearing 89 of the column and 90 ofthe base Upon the lower end of this shaft 88 is mounted a pinion 91 thatmeshes with an internal gear 92 secured to the inner cylindrical wall 31of the carrier for the purpose of turning the same to move the spindlesand tables from one operating station to another.

Controller drum and -braoket.The con troller drum 71 is cylindrical inform and is mounted to turn upon a special form of bearing plate 85 thatis supported upon arms 93 on. and centrally within, the before mentionedcolumn 44. The internal gear 92 which is secured to the'upper edgeportion of the controller drum 71 serves also to bear upon the upwardlydisposed flange portion of the said bearing plate to further support thecontroller drum in its operative position upon the plate. This drum isdesigned to be turned upon the plate through the pinion connections withthe rack before mentioned for the purpose of operating the several partsof the machine and in a way serves as a, means for controlling theoperation of the machine.- Upon this drum 71 is also mounted acontroller ring 94 which we will refer to later.

Stop for carrier.We have also provided connections for this controllerdrum 71 to the carrier 28 whereby the latter is at proper timesautomatically locked in its respective operative positions see Figs. 3,5, 16

and 17. It will be noted that we have provided a cam groove 95 in theouter face of the controller drum that serves to guide a roller pin 96mounted upon the upper end of a rod 97 so that the same will be raisedand lowered a given distance with each turn of the drum. In practicethis drum makes one complete turn to one-sixth turn of the carrier, orin other words. the drum makes six revolutions to one revolution of thecarrier.

Therefore, with each complete turn of the 1 drum the said rod and itsconnections are raised and lowered to their limit. From Fig. 19 it willbe seen that this connecting rod 97 is pivotally connected to one end ofa bell crank lever 98 hung upon the base and to the other end of whichlever is pivotally connected a link 99. The latter link is furtherpivotally connected to a second bell crank lever 100 that is pivotallyand slidably connected to a lock pin 101 mounted in the base to beraisedand lowered for engagement with the several holes 102 in.the-under side of the carrier. Adjustable screws 103 are set into eachof these holes and serve to be engaged by the said lock pin arranged inthe for it to move from one operating station to another, and likewiseto insure the engagement of the said stop pin with one of the pins andsockets or holes in the carrier-when it is brought around and made toregister therewith.

-Tool sZides.-The central portion of the outside of the column is of ageneral hexagon shape having six slides. The front side is covered withthe before mentioned removable plate 50 while the remaining five slidesare provided with ways 104 in which the operating slides 105 aresupported. These ways and slides and mechanism for operating the slidesare alike in construction and therefore the same reference characterswill be used to refer to like parts in each of the five sets. lt'willbeobvious, however, that the detachable tools 106 and mechanism forsupporting the tools may vary according to the particular class of workto be done, as for instance in Fig. 1, we have shown a drill 107 locatedcentral above the operating table 34 and which in that case would beused to perform the first work upon the piece to'be mounted on the tableand which would bore a hole in said piece. In Fig. 3 we have shown atool holder 108 carried in a cross slide 109 that may be used for eitherinside or outside surface cutting. Different tools set differently,would probably be used on part or all of the slides so as to perform allnecessary operations on a single piece. This obviously allows for alarge variety of work and allows for boring and threading and turning ofeither inside or outside cylindrical surfaces. The machine is thusparticularly adapted to completely finish pulleys, flv wheels and gearblanks as well as an unlimited variety of castings and forgingsrequiring operations of the above class.

Reversing feed worlcs.These tools and slides are fed up and down asrequired through a feed screw 110 (see Figs. 3 and 11), which screw isoperated from the reversible feed works 111 of which there is one setfor each slide. These feed works being alike in construction we willdescribe in detail but one set and will call attention to Figs. 10, 11,12 and 13. They are each operated from the respective vertical shafts 43which are journaled in the column as shown and extend upthrough thebottom plate 54 and into the casing 112 of the feed works 111. A smallbevel pinion 113 is secured to the upper end of the shaft 43 whichpinion meshes with similar pinions 114 and 115 one of which is securedto a clutch sleeve 116 and the other upon a similar clutch sleeve 117.These sleeves are both movably operated in bearings of the casing 112and have a shaft 118 journaled, in them. The

ends of both of these sleeves are provided with a clutch face that isadapted to be engaged by clutches 119 and 120 keyed to the said shaftand adapted to be slid backward and forward so as to alternately engageand disengage the clutches of the sleeves 116 and 117 and cause theshaft to be driven either backward or forward as desired. On the end ofthe shaft 118 is mounted a gear 121 that meshes with a similar gear 122upon an upper worm shaft 123 a so journaled in the casing and bearing aworm 124 which drives a gear 125 secured to the upper end of the feedscrew 110 before mentioned that operates to raise and lower the slide105.

These clutch members are operated by the slides 105 through connectionswith a rocker arm 126 and a bell crank lever 127 that are pivoted to thecasing and connected together by a link 128. The said bell crank leveris connected with the clutch 120 and provided with a bore in which ismounted a spring actuated pointed pin 129 that is engaged by a cam lug130 that extends down and out through the flooring 54 and along side ofthe respective slides 105. Upon the outer portion of this rod 131 issecured an upper arm 132 and a lower arm 133 that are adjustable up anddown thereon and extend out in line with the path of movement of a stop195 upon the slideso that when the slide reaches the end of itsmovements its stop will engage one or the otherof the arms and force therod up or down and shift the clutches. It will thus be understood thatwhen the slide reaches the end of its downward movement it will strikethe lower arm 133 and thus draw the rod down in a manner to shift thebell crank lever upward and the clutches to the right in a way to throwin the reverse or upward feed and cause the slides to return to theirupper positions. When the slides thus independently operating return totheir upper position they will in a like manner engage the upperadjustable arm 132 on the trip rod in a way to again shift the bellcrank lever and clutch connections to disengage the said upward feed. Wehere provide means for holding the clutches in a neutral position so asto prevent the immediate engagement of the feeding mechanism for thedownward feed of the slides and which we will refer to again later.These operations of the several slides are, of course, independent onefrom the other as the different cuts which the tools ofthe severalslides may vary, some requiring deeper cuts and longer movements of theslides than others. This is obviously taken care of at the time thefirst piece is put on the machine by adjusting the lower arm 133 so asto cause it to be struck sooner or later as the occasion requires. Whilethe slides start to return upward at various times for the reason justmentioned, yet this is not true of their downward start as they all muststart together so that the cycle of operations will be maintainedthroughout. Therefore this down feed, of the slides like the otheroperations in the cycle of movements of the machine is governed from thecontroller as follows:

In the top edge of the link 128 is formed a notch 134 that is engaged bya tooth 135 formed uponthe upper end of a stop rod 136 which is mountedin guides 137 formed in the column and serves to hold the link andconnected parts in an intermediate po-- sition when the same is shiftedover as a result of the tripping of the rod 131 at the extreme of theupward movement of the slide as before mentioned. The link being thusengaged serves to hold the clutches in a disengaged position untilautomatically released through the rod 136 which extends down into thecolumn in position to be engaged by a lug 138 on the controller drum, in

.a way to raise the same when engaged by the pin. This upward movementof the rod disengages the tooth from the notch of the link in a way torelease the same and allow the clutch 119 of the feed works to throw inand start the slide down. In this connection it will be seen that thecontroller drum is provided with five of these lugs 138 each of which isspaced at an equal distance apart thus serving to operate each of thefive rods 136 at the same time thereby throwing all five of the feedworks simultaneously, so that they all start feeding together.

Variable spindle dm'oe.The table spindles 27 are all driven from thelower driving shaft 68 and are each provided with separate, but likevariable speed driving mechanisms so that the tables may be driven atfour different speeds with relation to the said main shaft as will bebest understood from Figs. 2 and 3. Upon this lower driving shaft ismounted a gear 139 that meshes with and drives a gear 140 on a shortshaft 141 carrying two smaller gears and which serves to drive the gears142 and 143 on the main shaft at different speeds. The lower end portionof the shaft 68 is provided with a gear 144 that drives a large gear 145on a short shaft 146. This gear 145 through said shaft and small gears147 drives the gears 148 and 149 at different speeds. An intermediateshaft 150 that is journaled in the before mentioned stationary bearin 69and a lower bearing 151 has mounted thereon a slide gear 152 that isop-.

erated up and down to engage either of the, I 1

gears 142, 143, 148 and 149 so that it and its shaft may be operated ateither speed desired. The sliding gear is manually operated by anoperating handle 153 that is geared to rotate a screw shaft 154threadably connected with an arm of the sleeve formed on the hub of thesaid gear 152. A

broad faced gear 155 secured to the lower end of the shaft meshes withand drives the slip gear 42 keyed to the vertical shaft 43 journaled inthe base and column. A spring 156 serves to hold this slip gear down tomesh with the spindle gears 36 when they are' in their operativeposition under the slides. This slip gear is automatically raised todisengage the spindle just as the carrier begins to move or index by itspin connection with the cam ring 37 before mentioned. This gearis'raised during the movement of the carrier so as to allow the spindlegears 36 to pass the next slip gear and so that said slip gear may bedropped to mesh therewith from above when indexing is completed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that each tool carrying head isoperated through the same shafts 43 and gear 42 with which the tablespindles are operated and that while the speeds may be changed andvaried, yet all operations of the tool heads and spindles are inrelation with the tables with which they are engaged and are fedsynchronously with such tables with which they are engaged. This makesit possible for each tool head to cut an exact thread of any requiredpitch within its range on work held on the table and will repeat thisoperation on any table brought to that station or tool head.

Upper clutck. The upper or indexing clutch 157 upon the shaft 84includes a drum 158- fixed to the shaft and a band 159 that encirclesthe drum and which is normally held clamped around the drum by springs160 and is designed to be spread apart by a lever 161 that fits betweenthe ends of the said band and is carried therewith. This lever is causedto register with and be operated by a lever 162 with which it strikessaid lever being pivoted to a stud 163 secured to the under side of thefloor plate 54. A pin 164 is carried in the other end of the lever andextends up through the floor plate 54 to engage the groove 165 in theunder side of the driving gear 87 so as to normally hold this end of thearm in and the clutch band open. The outer wall of this groove isprovided with an opening 166 so as to allow the pin 164 to be drawn out,and the lever 162 to be operated by the spring 167, when the gear makesa complete turn and the opening 166 com es'to register'with the saidpin. This connection of pin 168 with the wall of groove normally holdsthe clutch open, but insures its release and engagement with the shaftat the proper instant to start the drive of the large gear. its shaft 88and the indexing movement. This starting of the clutch and gear iseffected from the controller drum through the slide rod 168 mounted in ahanger 169 secured to the floor plate 54. The upper end of this sliderod168 is provided with a bevel top end 170 that is arranged to engagethe side of the end of the lever 162 in a manner to slide against thesame and shove it over by the raising of the pin. This pin is normallyheld down so as not to affect the said lever, by a spring 171 and itsfree end is distended along the outer edge of the controller drum and inthe path of movement of a cam lug 172 secured to the outer face of thesaid controller drum.

The indexing gear 87 is provided with a notch 173 (see Figs. 6 and 9)that is cut through the inner side wall of the groove 165 and is beveledon one side so as to allow the stop pin 174 to drop in as the gear turnsaround and the said notch comes to register therewith. This stop pin ismounted in a bracket 175 secured to the bottom plate 54 and is providedwith an upper spring 176 that serves to hold the pin up in engagementwith the gear.

The pin is provided with collars against which one end of the springsoperate so as to insure the aforesaid pin being held against the gearand to cause the lower spring 177 to force the short arm 178 against thecontroller ring 94 when the pin is shoved down. The pin thus has aslight independent movement from the arm so as to impart to it ayielding downward pressure. This arm is normally seated in a notch 179of the bracket in which the said stop pin is operatively mounted. Thearm 178 is thus caused to drop into the first one of-the notches 180 ofthe controller ring as it comes into alinement therewith.

Lower cZutch.-The controller clutch 181 which is mounted upon the clutchshaft 84 serves to start and stop the controller drum and is similar inconstruction to that designated by 157, having a depending lever 182 forengagement by lugs 183 on the controller ring. This clutch isoperatedfrom the controller ring 94 that is mounted upon the controller drum 71and its rack and is yieldably connected to the drum by means of a spring184 seated in a pocket 185 and having one end connected to thecontroller drum 71 and the other to the ring 94. These parts are sodesigned that the spring will expand with the preliminary engagement ofthe ring thus allowing a short continued movement of the drum a ter thering has been engaged. The notches 180 are cut in'the top edge of thisring 94 and are also designed to be engaged by the controller pin 186slidably mounted in a bracket .187 of the face plate 50 secured to thecolumn. A spring 188 serves to normally hold this pin in position whenreleased for engagement with one of the notches of the ring, while thelug 189 secured to the pin may be withdrawn from the notch 190 of thehub of the plate and seated a ainst the edge of said hub in a manner tohold the pin withdrawn from engagement with the ring at such times as itis desired to allow the ring and machine to run undisturbed.

Upon the said controller ring is secured a series of lugs 183 (see Figs.4, 16 and 17) which are arrangedat suitable distances apart and extendedup so as to engage the free end of the lever 182, the other end of whichis secured to and forms a art of the toggle lever mounted between t eends of the clutch band 181 secured around the clutch drum as beforestated. A spring 188 serves to normally hold these ends of the bandtogether against the clutch drum whereas the toggle lever serves toexpand the band and release the drum when the said clutch and levercomes around and is engaged by one of the lugs 183 of the controllerring. As designed these parts are so constructed and arranged that thelever and clutch make eight turns to one turn of the controller ring.That is to say the end of the lever is free to swing around unobstructedseven successive times, but is engaged and held in the eighth turn ofthe clutch by reason of the engagement of the said lever with one of thelugs 183 of the controller ring which has now come forward in its pathof movement.

Means for stopping controller ring-We also provide a further connectionwhich insures the engagement and stoppage of the controller ring whenthe feed slides, start down thereby insuring the stoppage of themovement of the drum and parts controlled thereby. This connection willbe readily understood from reference to Fig. 5, whereit will be seenthat we emplo a vertical slide rod 191 that is mounted in earings 192secured to the inside of the column and upon its lower end is providedan inwardly disposedarm 193 that extends over and in line with thenotche 180 of the controller ring 94. An upper arm 194 that is alsosecured to each of the rods extends out and in line of movement of thetool slides 105 so that as the slides move up they engage the arm 194and force itup and cause the inner arm 193 to be withdrawn from thenotches 180 to release the controller ring 94 thereby releasing theclutch and allowing it to start, through the releasement of the clutchlever 186. When the rod 191 is raised up to release the controller ringsaid ring is free to move forward upon the controller drum by the actionof the before mentioned spring 182 and thus serves to free the clutchlever and permit the clutch 181 to clamp and start the controller drum.

From the foregoing it will be noted that our machine has a constantrelation between the rotation of table and the feed revolution of tooland that the same is accomplished through the vertical feed shaft 43shown in Fig. 3 and which connects the driving gear of the table directto the feed works. This feature applies to each spindle and 'each feedworks as the carrier is rotated to bring each individual spindle intorelation with the tool. The engagement of the sliding gear with thespindle gear engages the feed works with the spindle and thus it will benoted that the tool carrying heads are arran d to be fed by therevolution of the table With which they are engaged and may be operatedindependently or collectively to the work held on said tables.

Description of 0pemtz'0n.Assumin the front table of the machine to beloade and the carrier ready to move. forward and their respective slidesreturning to their top position, they disengage the controller rinthrough arms 193 and 194 and rod 191 and thus when the last slidereaches its upper position said ring is released which allows thecontroller clutch 181 to engage with its shaft thereby causing thecontroller drum 71 to revolve. The controller drum first draws thecontroller clutch 181 out of engagementwith the driven shaft 84 and thelock pm 101 out of engagement with the carrier and then releasesindexing clutch 158 which causes carrier 28 to move from one position tothe next. WVhile the above is taking place the arm 178 of rod 174 isforced into engagement with the notch 180 in controlling ring 94 causingit to stop until indexing is completed. When the indexing gear completesits turn then the rod falls into the notch 173 to stop the gear andrelease the ring. The ring immediately begins to move and throws in theclutch 158 and drum 71 which starts all down feeds for all slides. Asthe last one of the slides leaves itsupp'er position the controller ringis stopped by the arm 178 dropping into a notch of the ring.

At the same time the last of the slides has been tripped off by theadjustable arm 133 secured to the depending rod 131 on the right handside of each slide so as to reverse the clutches and feed screw in a wayto run the slides up and out of the way so that the carrier may be freeto turn. In this connection please note that as the respective slidescome up they withdraw the arms 193 from engagement with the notches 180of the controlling ring 94 so that when the last head and arms 193 areup and clutch lever 161 is disengaged the controlling ring is free to,move ahead and start the carrier and a new cycle of operations asdescribed. The down feed for the slides does not start until theclutches 117 and 120 are permitted to engage by the releasement of thetooth 135' of the rod 136 from the notch 134 of the link 128.

It will have been observed that an important and distinctive feature ofthe present'invention is a controller unit and the intermittent actionthereof, and in this connection it should be noted that the intermittentoperation or" the controller or controlling unit is essential to therapid and accurate functionin of the parts. In fact, it is by reason ofthe combinations involving the controller or controlling unit, containedwithin the machine, that it is possible for the machine to perform workof the most exacting character and responding to all practicalrequirements.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a multiple spindle machine, a rotary carrier having a step-by-stepmovement, a series of work-holding members supported on the carrier, alesser number of tool-carrying heads arranged to be fed synchronouslywith the rotation of the workcarryin members to which they are related,means or independently rotating the workcarrying-members, means forindexing the carrier, and an automatic controller unit for both of saidmeans.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, acarrier rotatably mounted thereon, a series of rotary work carryingtables supported on said carrier and the axes of which are fixed withrelation to each other, a series of a lesser num-' ber of tool carryingheads arranged to be fed synchronously with the rotation of the tableswith which they are engaged both independently and collectively to thework held on said tables, means for indexing the carrier so that thework tables may be brought to stations for engagement by the severaltools carried b the heads and means for rotating said tab es at variousand mdependent speeds at each station.

3. In a multiple spindle machine, a revolving carrier having a step bystep movement, a plurality of work-holdlng members supported on thecarrier, a lesser number of tool-carrying heads arran ed to be fedsynchronously with the rotation of the tables to which they are related,means for independently rotating the work carryng members, including aplurality of revolving driving members having a stationary support,means for indexing the carrier, and means for automatically returningthe tool carrying heads to their upper position.

4. In a machine of the class described, 'a base having an annular pockettherein and an annular opening in the top slde of sa d pocket, a carrierrotatably mounted on sald base, a series of work carrying spindlessupported in said carrier and extended through the opening, gears uponeach of the splndles and designed to operate 1n the annular pocket,means to engage and simultaneously operate the gears and spindles, aseries of tool carrying slides arranged'to be fed to the work held onspindles, and means for indexing the carrier so that the spindles may besuccessively brought into engagement with the tool heads. v

5. In a machine of the class described a base having an annular pockettherein with an annular opening in one side and a series of openings inthe other side of said pocket, a carrier rotatably mounted on said base,an annular plate covering the series of openings, a series of workcarrying spindles supported in said carrier and extended throughthemnular opening and plate, a, gear upon each of the spindles anddesigned to operate in the annular pocket, means to enga e andsimultaneously operate any of the sai gears and spindles, a series oftool carrying slides arranged to be fed to the work held on the workcarrying-spindles, and means for indexingthe carrier so that any of thegears and spindles may be selectively brought into operative relationwith the said operating means.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a basehaving a series of outlet passages therein, a carrier rotatably mountedthereon, a series of hollow rotary work carrying spindles supported insaid carrier and adapted to register with the outlet passages, gearsupon the spindles, tool carrying slides arranged to be operated inconjunction with the work upon the spindles, means for indexing thecarrier so that work may be brought into position for operation by thetools of the slides, and means to engage the spindle gears to turn thesame while the carrier is in a position of rest.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a basehaving a series of outlet passages therein, a carrier rotatabl mountedthereon, a series of rotary work carrying spindles supported in saidcarrier and having a longitudinal opening therethrough to register withthe outlet, gears upon the spindles, a driving shaft, means forconnecting it with and driving all but one of said spindle gears, meansfor index ing the carrier upon which the spindles are mounted and sothat one of the said spindles becomes disconnected from the drivingmechanism with each move of the carrier.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, acarrier rotatably mounted thereon, means for successively turning thecarrier a predetermined distance, a series of work carrying tablesrotatably mounted in the carrier and fixed against vertical movement,means for driving said spindles when the carrier is in a position ofrest, sliding gears for disconnecting said driving means when thecarrier is in motion, vertically operatable tool carrying slidesarranged above the operatable position of the rotary tables, and meansfor feeding the slides synchronously with-the rotation of the tables.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, acarrier rotatably mounted thereon, an annular rack and gear connectionfor successively turning the carrier a predetermined distance, a seriesof work carrying tables rotatably mounted in the carrier and limited towork in the same horizontal plane, means for turning all but one of saidspindles when the carrier is in a position of rest, a verticallyoperatable tool carrying slide arranged above the operatable spindleswhen in position for rotation, and means for feeding the slides to andfrom the operating tables synchronously with the rotation of saidtables.

10. In a machine of the class described, a base, a carrier rotatablymounted on the base, means for indexing the carrier, a series of rotarynon-longitudinally movable work-carrying spindles mounted in thecarrier, a gear upon each of said spindles, a plurality of revolvingdriving spindles having a stationary support and each adapted to betemporarily connected with the gear upon one of said spindles, achange-speed gearing geared with said driving spindles, and toolcarryingmeans.

11. A machine tool of the class described, comprising a base, a carrierrotatably mounted thereon, means for successively rotating the carrier,a series of work carrying table spindles mounted in the carrier, a gearupon each of said spindles, a series of sliding gears with which all butone of the spindle gears are brought to register, and means forautomatically shifting the sliding gears to connect'and disconnect withthe respective spindle gears.

12. An automatic machine tool comprising a base, a rotary carriermounted thereon, spindles journaled in the carrier, a gear upon each ofthe said spindles, a cam ring connected to be rotated by the spindles,driving means, a sliding gear intermediate of the driving means andspindle gears, connections intermediate of the sliding ears and the camring whereb the said sli ing gear is automatically shi ed to disconnectthe drive for the spindle gears.

13. An automatic machine tool compris-- ing a base, a rotary carriermounted thereon, means to successively turn the carriers a predetermineddistance, spindles journaled within the carrier, a gear upon each of thesaid spindles, a cam ring connected to be rotated with the carrier,driving means, a sliding gear intermediate of the driving means andspindle gears, connections intermediate of the sliding gears and the camring whereby the said slldinggear is automatically shifted anddisconnected from the spindle gears to allow the carrier to turn.

14. In an automatic machine tool, the

combination of a series of rotary work carrying tables, a rotatablecarrier in which the spindles are mounted, means for successively movingthe carrier a predetermined distance, means for rotating the spindles, acam ring carried by the spindles and carrier, means intermediate of thecam ring and the driving connections for the spindles whereby thespindles may be connected and disconnected to operate the spindles onlywhen the carrier is in a position of rest.

15. In an automatic machine tool, the combination of a series of rotarywork carrying tables limited to operate in the same horizontal plane arotary carrier in which thespindles are mounted, means for successivelymoving the carrier a predetermined distance, means for connecting withand rotating some of the Spindles when the carrier is in a position ofrest, disconnecting means of the driving mechanism to insure thespindles becoming idle while the carrier moves and to insure one of thespindles being left idle while the others are in operaion.

16. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, adriving shaft, a driven shaft, speed changing gears intermediate of thedriving and driven shafts, a carrier, rotary Work carrying tablesmounted upon the carrier, a gear for temporarily operating the tablesfrom the driven shafts, means for automatically connecting anddisconnecting said operatlng gear and a' series of tool carrying headsarranged to be fed synchronously with the rotation of the tables.

17. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, a'driving shaft, a carrier, rotary work carrying tables mounted in thecarrier, a driven shaft, separate speed changing gears intermediate ofthe driving and driven shaft to operate the spindles at separate andindependent speeds, a gear for operating the table from the drivenshaft, means for connecting and disconnecting said operating gear and aseries of tool carrying heads arranged to be fed synchronously with therotation of the tables. I Y

18. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a base, arotary carrier mounted therein, a series of outlet openings through thelower portion of the base, a series of hollow spindles bearing workcarrying tables mounted in the carrier and arranged to register when inoperation, with the said outlet openings so that the chips from thetable may be discharged.

19. In v machine of the class described the combination with a basehaving an annular bearing surface with a slot therethrough, a rotarycarrier mounted thereon,

